Hibernation
by LilCan
Summary: A ridiculous story about Pepper the failing inventor, meeting the flirtatious street-rat Natasha. Their lives intertwine in strange and surprising ways as these teddybear-people try to prepare in time to survive the coming hibernation months. (After heavy bribery and daring, this has actually come into existence and I'm not proud of it.) (General Disclaimers Apply.)
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: I was heavily bribed by a friend to write this, and the dared by another to put it up here. Never one to turn down free food or a challenge, and probably having no common sense...here we are. I know, just...don't judge me, I'm never going to live this down as it is.)**

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"Ouch!"

There was a loud, echoing clang as the spanner hit the workshop floor. The machine she was working on buzzed and shot vicious blue sparks at Pepper, before sizzling and coming to a complete stop with a defeated-sounding hum. Pepper brushed her clothes with a grimy hand, cleaning away imaginary remnants of the sparks. She inspected her other hand and sighed. There was an angry burn across her palm and a few fingers; the skin red and puffy where it had come into contact with a searing metal plate.

"You're meant to _help_ people not injure them, asshole!" she told the machine, shooting it a glare before searching for something to wrap her hand up in.

Pepper's machine was simple enough to create – in theory. It was intended to simulate the hormonal and environmental conditions a person requires to survive the hibernation months, eliminating the need to spend them in close proximity with another person. Unfortunately, two days away from the beginning of the hibernation months, her invention was malfunctioning. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong.

Pepper wrapped what she hoped was a clean rag around her hand, pulling the knot tight with her teeth, and rested against the far bench of her in-home work area, thinking. To her right lay a pile of spare metal, wiring, and glass. Next to that was a smaller pile of pieces from various electronic devices, and in a small shelf further back were bottles, jars and capped test tubes containing an array of chemicals and other fluids. Pepper looked back at her machine. Beneath all the enhancements, it still vaguely resembled the tormented mini-fridge it was initially built from, but apart from that all Pepper could see was another failed invention.

She sighed and cursed under her breath in frustration. Of all the things that could've stopped working, the most important machine was the one to do it. But Pepper was determined to get it working as soon as she could - she had to.

She sighed and kicked a bit of steel piping into a corner, where it clanged against numerous other bits of salvaged scrap. Grabbing her keys, coat, scarf, and knitted hat on the way out, Pepper flicked off the power switch by the door and ventured out into the snow.

Out in the open street Pepper kicked the door shut and leant against it, welcoming the chill wind and specks of snow settling on her face. She needed to find more parts, and quickly. She read through the list scribbled on the back of last week's grocery receipt; a piece of specific wiring, a certain bit of copper piping, some of this, a chunk of that. _'Shit. Seven things,'_ she thought, _'Seven.'_

Groaning she pushed off the door and slugged through the slushy snow heading towards the empty main street. The quaint suburban houses were all shut up now. Windows and doors shut against the world as people already prepared for the coming months. She pictured them all rugged up in their houses, waiting with slight nervousness and a fair amount of anticipation, no serious concerns regarding winter. Only the homeless and the _really_ unprepared were out this close to hibernation.

Pushing her musings away she shoved her list and keys into her pocket, wrapping her scarf around her neck and pulling her hat over her fuzzy, round bear ears. However, her thoughts wandered and became more and more unfiltered and she trudged towards the scrap tip.

' _What kind of fucked up evolutionary step was this?'_ she thought, contemplating hibernation. _'Fucking unhealthy co-dependence. Oh yeah, how about_ as a species _, we just rely on sleeping for months instead of effectively dealing with the cold? And to make it really fun,"_ she continued sarcastically, _"We could just die if we don't spend it with another person? Ha ha what a brilliant idea! What could possibly go wrong with that god damn plan?'_

Her reflections stopped abruptly when an angry little man stepped into her path. She groaned, "Look, Grub, I just gotta get some things…"

He interrupted her, "Nope. No one's taking any scrap until after…"

"Grub!" it was her turn to interrupt now, "Scrap metal isn't going to keep you alive in winter, it's not going to help you, I just need a few things."

"For what? Another wacky invention? Let it go Pepper, rug up and slug it out like everyone else does."

"I'm _trying_ to," she mumbled, mentally weighing up whether or not she'd win an argument with Grub today, before eventually giving up and turning her back on him, deliberately rude. Her chest felt tight and her stomach was doing all kinds of twists and turns. She was running out of time and really needed those parts or she was never going to make it.

She headed back to the Main Street and began sorting through skips and people's recycling bins. _'Lucky mother can't see me now,'_ she thought, _'This'd be the tipping point for sure.'_

On her third skip bin inspection, someone suddenly spoke. "Um, you need any help dumpster-diving there hun?"

The voice was so unexpected that Pepper jumped and whacked her head on the lid of an alleyway skip. Rubbing the sore patch on her scalp she turned around to scowl at the owner of the voice.

A lean, muscled woman was sitting elegantly on the cold, redbrick wall, round black ears poking through fiery red hair that fell around her shoulders. A ragged scar ran through one eyebrow, and another much smoother scar glinted silver across her cheekbone. She just sat there, with a smile bordering on predatory, waiting for Pepper to collect herself.

"Uhh yeah, wait _NO_ , I-I'm fine, I'm just looking for something," she stammered. She couldn't take her eyes off this gorgeous street rat. Feeling impolite, she finally tore her gaze away and stared at the ground, fidgeting with her hands in her pockets. _'Get it together Pepper, what the hell?'_

The woman smiled mischievously, watching Pepper closely. She hopped off the wall and all but prowled over to Pepper, stopping an arm's length away. "Anything in particular? I might be able to help."

Pepper had finally reigned in enough brain cells to think clearly, but even so her words came out a little breathy. "With finding things in dumpsters? I won't ask that of you."

The woman shrugged, "I'm known around here as the person who can get _anything_ , I'm sure I can help. Show me your list."

"I- what? How do you know I have a list?"

"You've been fidgeting with it this whole time, I can hear the paper crunch in your pocket." She smiled, all sharp teeth, and held out her hand expectantly.

"It could've been an ordinary receipt," Pepper grumbled, handing it over. The woman flicked a glance at her. Pepper's bandaged hand caught her attention, but she didn't comment.

She flattened and read through the list. "I can get you these things, easy."

"Really?" Pepper's eyes lit up and she stood a little straighter in her excitement. "Hang on…" she hesitated, "You can't go stealing them from people's heating systems or electrical switchboards or anything."

"How do you know I'm going to steal? Don't stereotype the street rat!" she said, sounding amused and not really affected.

But Pepper remembered the woman's comment on how she could 'get _anything_ ,' and replied, "I know you're going to steal because stealing is your _trade_. Don't think I don't know about your reputation, 'Black Widow' they call you."

The woman grinned proudly for a moment, as if her reputation was a great achievement. Her grin slowly fell away as she searched Pepper's face curiously, eyes narrowed. "Fine. I won't steal anything essential to anyone's survival, are you happy?"

Pepper nodded, "Yep." Now she wanted to know where this Black Widow person would get the parts from instead, but figured it was smarter to let it go. Besides, she needed those parts and couldn't risk compromising their deal by asking the wrong questions. Instead she asked, "What do you want in return?"

The redhead tapped her lip thoughtfully, "Hmm…I'll think of something." Before Pepper could even formulate a response, the fiery redhead grinned wickedly, turned, and disappeared lightning-fast into the main street.

Pepper groaned inwardly, hoping she wouldn't regret the desperate measures these desperate times were calling for. She looped her finger through the ring on her keys, pulled them free of her pocket and flicked them up into her palm, heading home with thoughts of the mysterious street rat the only thing on her mind.

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 **A/N: If you have any feedback, please feel free to let me know and I'll take it into consideration. Suggestions, comment, corrections, requests, criticism – are all welcome, just let me know. There are more chapters of this which I'll probably post in exchange for some more amazing free food (don't judge me) and for the sake of having at least one complete work up here, so if anyone wants anything included let me know in a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Pepper slumped on the cold kitchen tiles, ignoring the chill that seeped through her jeans and the cabinet handle that was jamming her in the spine. As she sipped at too-hot coffee, she wondered if Black Widow knew where she lived and how she was planning on getting the things to Pepper. Pepper didn't think it would be a challenge for the street rat to find her personal information if she didn't already know the address. Pretending not to worry about where the materials were going to come from, Pepper tried to focus on something else. It didn't work.

' _Would she turn up here?'_ She didn't know if she found the idea frightening, or exciting. And she didn't know which feeling was worse to admit. She shrugged it off; she could handle herself, she knew that. Being underestimated had always worked to her advantage and she'd lived rough before. She knew a thing or two.

Picking at the chip in her mug she huddled close to its warmth. Only one day left, after today, until hibernation begins. She could probably stay awake for another day and a half if she pushed herself. Looking over at her silent, unmoving, broken machine, Pepper found it hard not to lose hope. She didn't even know what was wrong with it. Was three days enough time?

A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts and she stood reluctantly, getting irritated. She made her way across the room, kicking a screwdriver out of the way as she did and glancing around her one-room home. She paused, looking around. A desk and filing cabinet were lined against the wall adjacent to the front door, and next to them were a chest of drawers and a wardrobe, neither from a matching set. Bathroom and laundry were in a corner sectioned off with large canvas screens, and along the far wall the kitchenette and living room merged into the workshop area, separated only by two small couches and one of the workbenches, all of which were often used interchangeably as beds. For a fleeting second Pepper wondered if she should be self-conscious about her strange home.

A second, more impatient knock sounded at the door.

"Okay I'm coming! Fuck!" Pepper yelled, jogging the remaining distance without spilling her coffee. She wrenched the door open, "What?"

Black Widow stood on the doorstep, a bag on one shoulder and a hand on her hip. "I'd hoped you'd be saying those words in a whole other context," she said with a smirk and suggestive raise of an eyebrow.

Pepper rolled her eyes and headed back to the kitchen, leaving the door open and taking a big gulp of her coffee. Natasha lingered for a moment, unsure of whether Pepper realised exactly who she was dealing with and allowing into her house, but took her actions as invitation. She followed Pepper in, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

The house was not what she'd expected. At her job at Stark Industrial Mechanics, Pepper had only ever been polite, professional, and tidy in her pencil skirts and suit jackets when Natasha saw her. Natasha had expected at least white carpeting and a hallway lined with framed achievement certificates. But now, it was like she was a completely different person altogether when away from work. Natasha swept her eyes across the room, noting there was only one exit point (front door) and large skylights in the roof were the only source of natural lighting; no wall windows. _'Skylights,'_ she thought disdainfully, _'Impractical for escape and for the snowy climate, but probably nice in summer.'_

Natasha wondered if the building had once been a warehouse, converted into _the most_ open-plan living she'd ever seen. Her eyes were drawn to the work area, where tools and parts of various machines and inventions were scattered or piled up. After a few minutes she turned to see Pepper watching her, anxiously awaiting her evaluation. "I thought you were just the receptionist," she said with a nod at the work area.

"How do you know what my job is?" Pepper asked, her voice surprised and ever so slightly concerned.

Natasha shrugged. "Pepper, I've seen you there," she said, as if it was obvious that the Black Widow checked out the receptionist at a mechanics.

"Oh," Pepper cleared her throat and flicked the electric kettle on, more out of habit than practicality. "I work in reception and in the head office, I practically run the business. I also help out with mechanic stuff when they're short-staffed or overloaded."

Natasha looked around the room and back at the work area again, and smiled. "They don't pay you enough."

Pepper laughed, "I could give myself a pay rise if I wanted it."

"Then why don't you?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Pepper shrugged, "Not used to the extravagant lifestyle I guess."

"Hmm." She cleared her throat, reprimanding herself for getting off topic. "Anyway, I brought you your things," she said, quickly. She dropped the bag down on the closest couch.

Pepper looked at it but made no move to take it. "What do you want in return?" she asked, trying to sound stern.

Natasha shrugged, "Nothing," she decided, "Just willing to help someone out before hibernation."

"Liar. On the streets people can't afford random acts of kindness. What do you want?"

Natasha matched Pepper's glare with her own, and to her surprise Pepper didn't seem to want to back down. "What would you know about the streets?"

"More than you think I know, clearly." The tension grew thick in the air, and for a moment it looked like either a fight would break out or they'd spend the winter months glaring at each other. Finally, Pepper clicked her tongue and went to the bag, opening it up and checking everything was there. She picked it up and walked over to her work area and for a second Natasha thought she'd forgotten she wasn't alone. "You can stay here if you want," she called casually over her shoulder.

Natasha spun around, "What?"

"You can stay here tonight, or however long you want to stay. It's fine by me."

"I didn't ask for that."

"You didn't ask for _anything_." Pepper met Natasha's gaze again, "You can stay if you want."

Natasha marvelled at how evenly they were matched in terms of stubbornness and death-stare-strength. "Um, okay…" she agreed hesitantly.

Pepper smiled almost triumphantly, "Just don't steal my stuff," she said with a knowing look.

"What, I'm from the street so you assume I'm gonna steal your stuff?" Natasha said, sounding mock-offended.

"No," Pepper said with a smirk, "I assume you're gonna steal my stuff because you're a thief by trade, and you just pocketed my wrench."

Natasha should have been embarrassed, really, for being caught doing such a dishonourable thing, but she was just impressed Pepper caught her. She stalked over and handed it back. "Sorry, old habits die h…" Her words were cut off by the shrill tone of a mobile phone.

Pepper groaned and tossed the wrench almost across the room, " _Whaaat?_ " she asked the air loudly. Natasha watched wide-eyed as Pepper searched the room and dug out two mobiles, one labelled 'work' and the other 'burner,' from between the couch cushions before finally answering on a third, labelled 'ugh.' "Hello mother," she said sweetly.

Pepper's mood swings were beginning to give Natasha whiplash. But more surprising than that, as Natasha witnessed, was how quickly and convincingly Pepper could change her tone to be manipulative.

"No, m- no _mother_ , I'm fine. I promise – yes I'm all prepared for it, can't wait! – Yes I've found someone."

Natasha was only getting one side of the conversation, and assumed it was to do with finding someone for hibernation. She momentarily felt rude for eves-dropping, but that thought was pushed to the back of her mind when Pepper began lying like a _true street kid_. No shame. No hesitation. No mistakes.

"Mother! Yes I have found someone for this winter, he's wonderful really – no not Tony – I don't work for him anymore, mother – Yes, he's tall. Handsome, conventionally attractive for sure, but not in a 'devilish' way…" she said, pretending to sound scandalised by the very notion, "I will, he's here right now – no you can't, he's presently engaged in… – _no_ not that kind of engaged mother! He's _busy_ is all! – I'll call you later on and you can speak to him then, ok, ok, yes mother. Bye."

Pepper huffed and tossed the phone back to the couch, where it slipped between the cushions and out of sight again.

It was only through experience on the street, and her own knowledge of what was true, that Natasha was able to tell that Pepper was lying about most, if not _all_ , of what she'd been saying. She watched as Pepper returned to working on some kind of mutant mini-fridge machine. "'Mother?' How formal."

"Yeah, well, that's how it is with her," Pepper said flatly, not really in the mood to discuss it.

Natasha was about to let it drop when the phone rang again, she fished it out and checked the caller ID. "It's your mother again."

Pepper stood and held her hands out to catch, and after some indecision, Natasha tossed her the phone.

She accepted the call and held it to her ear. "Mother dear – why of course he is. Can we...can we not discuss this _now_?" Her mother must have said something that made Pepper tick, because Natasha could almost _see_ Pepper make the decision to drop the 'nice' façade and be cruel. Well, Black Widow was impressed. "He's so wonderful" she began scathingly, "he made me wonder why I ever thought I was bisexual! Gee Golly, I'm so straight now. And as an added bonus; he's conservative enough to fart church hymns!" she spat. "– then stop calling me! Delete my number!" She hung up and threw the phone across the room, and only by some miracle did it landed on the floor and stay in one piece.

Natasha felt awkward, but at the same time she was mesmerised. _'Should I just leave?'_ she wondered, _'I might end up making things worse…'_ She looked to Pepper, trying to judge what she'd want right now. She heard herself asking, "Fart church hymns?"

Pepper winced but laughed at her own joke, "I'm sure God can forgive me for that one." She stretched up to the top cupboard, standing on her toes to reach a bottle of half empty scotch. "Do you want a drink?" Pepper called.

The question caught Natasha off guard, "What?"

Pepper took a swig from the bottle she'd grabbed and pressed it to Natasha's chest as she headed back to the work area for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "Welcome to my life, enjoy your stay," she deadpanned.

Natasha had been intrigued by the Dangerously Capable Receptionist Pepper, impressed by the Kind Hearted Trusting Pepper earlier, and now completely stunned by the Intelligent, Attractive Multilayered Pepper she was discovering had great taste in aged scotch. She again wondered if she should just leave, before she got herself in too deep.

She glanced at Pepper, working away, and made an executive decision to ignore her logical side and go with her passionate side. _'Well, I've got nothing to lose.'_ She drank and sat herself on the bench behind Pepper, watching her arrange wiring with a pair of pliers.

She decided she'd stay, for now at least. It seemed like Pepper could do with the company, and who was she kidding? She found Pepper quite interesting, and it was nice to be with someone who didn't tiptoe around her.

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 **A/N:** **If you have any feedback, please feel free to let me know and I'll take it into consideration. Suggestions, comment, corrections, requests, criticism – are all welcome, just let me know. Yeah I'm still getting free food from this...no shame.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: There appears to be some confusion about the whole 'hibernation' deal, so to put it in basic terms it's pretty much bear-people have to sleep through the coldest months of the year, much like some real species of bear, but these people have to spend it together with another person otherwise it sort of won't work and they'll die. It's not solid science or anything, we just needed a reason to have angst and cuddling in the story and having teddybear ears was already part of the plan, so, yeah if anyone is still confused I'll go back and clarify better in Chapter 1.**

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It grew dark in Pepper's home and finally, when it was too difficult to see what she was working on, Pepper stood to turn on a light.

She flinched when she saw Natasha sitting on the bench behind her, lurking like a predator in the night, as if Pepper had forgotten she wasn't alone. "Oh! Umm…" Pepper started, before shaking her head, dismissing whatever train of thought she'd started to verbalise. She frowned and navigated her way smoothly in the dark, not looking down once but never putting a foot out of place, even kicking a tool out of the way. Natasha wondered if Pepper knew where every stray tool, machine part and piece of scrap lay, and if there was some method after all to the mad mess that was her home after all. And if she could cross the room just once without kicking something...

Pepper flicked on several light switches around the room. The room was lit up by a wide range of different sized globes, all glowing in different shades of white and yellow, with the occasional hued exception, and varying in brightness. Although Natasha was initially put off by it, she soon found that she could use them to orient herself in the giant box of a house. By using the lights as markers to tell which direction she was facing, even if only seeing the slight glint of green or blur of blue through fluttering eyelids, she could work out where everything else should be from there. This was extraordinarily helpful for Natasha, who was already feeling better about having to wake up with unfamiliar surroundings the following morning. _'I wonder if she designed them that way.'_

From the kitchenette, Pepper folded her arms and watched the woman in her home blink in the lights before quickly adjusting to using them to her advantage. No one else had been to her house and really experienced the lighting trick, so Pepper didn't have any past observations to draw from, but she was certain that figuring them out that quickly wasn't ordinary. Oh well, it was kind of impressive.

' _Right,'_ she thought, _'Food.'_ She rolled her shoulders, stiff from being hunched over so long, and asked, "Do you want dinner?"

Natasha looked over and smirked, "How domestic, we're already like wife and wife."

Pepper rolled her eyes, "Is that a yes or a no."

"You don't have to feed me, I'm already staying at your house," she said, suddenly serious. "I don't want to burden you."

Pepper shrugged, she knew the feeling. You get that way sometimes, when you spend so long depending only on yourself and being made to feel like you cause more trouble than you're worth. "It's just leftovers, I have heaps. You can have some."

Natasha looked surprised and a little wary, but took the container of food when it was offered. She was one of the better off of those living on the streets, but it had been a while since she'd had a full meal and wasn't going to turn this down.

"I don't have a dining room, not really, so just sit wherever you're comfortable," Pepper said, taking her food with her to resume the same position she'd been in for hours; slouched in front of her machine.

Natasha followed her lead, sitting atop the workbench again with her legs crossed beneath her, watching curiously.

After an hour Natasha broke the silence, deciding Pepper needed a distraction and _she_ needed some answers. "Why are you so calm around me?" Probably not the best starter, she realised once it was too late.

Pepper jumped, but replied calmly. "You don't seem so bad."

"You know my reputation. I've killed some people even – if you believe the rumours. That doesn't scare you?"

"I'd be a fool if I wasn't scared of the Black Widow," she replied absently, focusing on connecting delicate wiring.

"Then are you a fool?"

Pepper sighed, "You're not currently the Black Widow are you? You're, like, a normal person right now. And you didn't rob me in that alleyway, you offered to help me. Besides, I've been nice to you, you'd be an asshole if you killed me now."

Natasha laughed, "You're too trusting…"

"Am I?" Pepper interrupted, sitting up and facing Natasha, suddenly more serious. "I've never let my guard down around you, you might think I have, but what do you really know about me? I have a bad relationship with my mother, sure. I have a crappy house layout, sure. My job is more than just a secretary, I build things, I'm bi, I swear when I'm frustrated, I'm a passably good liar. Sure. But these are all things you could have easily found out by asking around." She fixed Natasha with a stern look, "You don't know me, and I don't trust you."

Natasha opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it. She matched Pepper's glare, "Fine, maybe I don't know that much about you, but I could kill you in your sleep tonight, I could've poisoned your food when you were zoned out, I could've stolen your valuables! You _are_ too trusting."

"You're underestimating me."

"You're underestimating _me_. I'm from the street, you don't know what I'm capable of." Natasha cringed at how cheesy that sounded, but stuck to her point.

Pepper laughed, actually laughed. Natasha stared, taken aback.

"Ahh!" Pepper exclaimed in realisation, "You think I don't know what I'm doing! You think I have no idea what street life is like, or what the people are like. You assume that because I now have a good job and an okay house, that I've always had those things? And that I don't know how you're thinking?"

"But…"

"I have lived on the streets, I know about that life, what it does to people. Don't jump to conclusions."

"You've lived on the streets?"

Pepper nodded. "In rougher cities than this."

Natasha looked down at her food, then back up at Pepper who was patiently watching her. "Sorry. False assumptions." After a moment she glanced at Pepper with a playful grin, "Didn't think someone so cute could be a street rat."

Pepper snorted and ignored the comment. "Well y _ou're_ a street rat," she said offhandedly and shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

Natasha blinked at the comment, unsure if Pepper was aware of what she'd implied. She'd left too long thinking to reply, so she let Pepper get back to work and they finished their meals in silence.

Pepper worked most of the night but turned off some lights and told Natasha to take the comfiest couch, who fell asleep quickly. She woke with a start but soon remembered where she was, using the lighting in the dim morning to jog her memory and place her direction before her eyes fully focused. The snow was thick and covered the skylights with heavy layers of white sleet. The room was dark and freezing and Natasha cursed the inefficient design again; clearly not a winter home.

She felt like she was in a strange, cold cube, it was a bit surreal.

Walking over to the work area, Natasha saw Pepper had fallen asleep on the floor. She grabbed the blanket she'd been using off the couch and picked her way through to Pepper, tossing it gently over her. She didn't know why she was doing this, she didn't quite understand why she'd been compelled to help Pepper or accept her help in return. She shrugged to herself, lying to herself and promising she'd make a point of thinking it over later.

Natasha moved silently around the house, exploring the sectioned off areas and kitchen and much as possible without moving anything except for picking up a First Aid kit she placed on the kitchen counter, hoping Pepper would take the hint and see to her hand. Finally, she checked the peephole in the door, seeing the snow had become almost chest height overnight. _'Damn, that's going to be a pain to navigate.'_ Natasha tried not to dwell on how little time she had to find someone to survive the winter with.

She heard a clank behind her and spun around quickly, only to see Pepper shoving bits of metal away giving herself room to stretch out. From her viewpoint by the door, Natasha could see that Pepper's jeans had slid lower in her sleep, and a small rusty-brown tuft of fur was sticking out at the base of her spine.

"Nice tail, hun," Natasha called out, winking as Pepper glared and hiked up her jeans.

"Hilarious," she said flatly, making her way to the couch. After a few minutes she gained momentum again and sat up to stretch. "D'you want breakfast? Or are going fight me on that too?"

Natasha grinned and sat on the arm of the couch, "I could do with some breakfast."

"Great!" Pepper said cheerfully, "Make me some while you're at it."

Natasha grumbled and got up to scope out the kitchen, berating herself for falling into Pepper's trap, but smiling nonetheless.

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 **A/N:** **If you have any feedback, please feel free to let me know and I'll take it into consideration. Suggestions, comment, corrections, requests, criticism – are all welcome, just let me know.**


	4. Chapter 4

Natasha set the plate on the arm of the couch near Pepper, hoping the smell would rouse her and she wouldn't have to personally wake a sleeping bear.

Pepper looked sleepily at it, mumbled out a "Thanks," and gingerly grabbed the plate and held it close, grateful for its warmth. "And thanks for not killing me in my sleep or robbing me," she added teasingly. She pushed away nagging thoughts concerning how relaxed and trusting they seemed to be around each other despite not knowing each other for even 24 hours.

"There's too much snow to move your furniture out the door, and whether you make it through breakfast is yet to be seen," Natasha replied.

Pepper looked to the door worriedly, as if she could see through it to the snow piling up on the other side. "Hibernation is tomorrow," she said thoughtfully.

"Mmm," Natasha agreed.

"Does the infamous Black Widow have someone to survive it with?"

"I'm sure I could bribe someone with all my stolen goods. And if that doesn't work, I could always wrestle someone to the ground and huddle up with them," she said lightly, trying not to think too much on it considering she was still trying to find someone who wouldn't run away in fear or hope she froze before making it to spring. "And you can call me Natasha," she said smiling, "If you want."

Pepper studied her for a moment, before nodding. "I'd like to see you wrestle someone to the ground just for a bear hug," she said sniggering.

Natasha laughed too but moved the subject away from herself, "What about you? Got anyone lined up?" She remembered the discussion on the phone, but figured Pepper was probably lying about the guy.

"Nah, not yet. I'll figure something out."

"What about Tony? You guys were dating right? It's not like he'd leave you out to freeze."

"I didn't know you kept such close tabs on my life."

"I don't…it's just that- I saw you guys at your work…" Natasha stumbled, looking for the right words, "Never mind."

Pepper smiled, "Don't worry about it. He's just my boss now though, thought it might be a bit of a weird thing to ask of him. Besides, that's what that thing is meant to be for." She gestured to the machine she'd been working on.

"What? The tormented refrigerator?"

"It's supposed to imitate the pheromones and temperature and what-not that would help a person through hibernation, so they don't have to rely on someone else for survival."

"A substitute for actual human contact? That just makes you sound really lonely."

"Hey!" Pepper grew defensive, "How do you know I'm not making it for other people who are simply unable to find someone else, like…like homeless youth or aggressive elderly folk."

Natasha snorted, "Well? Were you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I was," she paused before adding, "As well as for myself."

"So you are a loner!"

"I don't see you gearing up to wait it out with anyone either!"

Natasha shrugged, "That's 'cause people are scared of me, _you're_ not exactly fear-inspiring."

"Why are they scared? You don't seem very scary at the moment."

"I don't usually act this…casual," Natasha admitted.

Pepper tilted her head to the side, studying Natasha. "Why?"

Natasha shrugged, "I don't know," she said honestly.

Pepper considered that for a moment. "Why did you offer to help me without asking for payment?"

"I don't know," Natasha said roughly, "Why did you let me stay here?"

"Why didn't you ask for anything?"

"Why did you give me food?"

"Why didn't you rob me?"

"And you're still letting me stay here!"

"You could've taken anything and left!"

Natasha glared. Pepper glared back. There was a strange sort of tension between them. Was this instinctive? A natural desire to be with someone, _anyone_ , during hibernation? Or was it more than that? Neither wanted to think about it.

"Why'd you help me?" Pepper asked quietly.

Natasha met her eyes, then donned her trademark smirk. "Because I thought you were cute."

Pepper rolled her eyes and frowned, growing frustrated, "Why do you always say things like that?" she asked, walking away to the kitchen with her empty plate, "You always change the topic with- with those kinds of things. Is it a defensive mechanism or what?"

"What?" Natasha got up to follow her, confused. "I think it's generally referred to as 'flirting.'"

Pepper made a doubtful 'hmm' sound, like she didn't quite believe it.

"Pepper! It's what people do when they're attracted to someone else."

"I know what flirting is," she snapped, "But why the fuck would someone like _you_ , all sexy and- and powerful, be attracted to _me_?" Pepper asked, turning her back and concentrating more than necessary on dishes.

"Because I just _am_. Why wouldn't I be? Anyone with half a brain can see how amazing you are!"

Pepper spun around and glared at Natasha, who was closer than Pepper had expected and matching her glare with equal ferocity. A million thoughts raced through Pepper's mind almost faster than she could process them. She faltered. "You were _flirting_ with me?"

"I've been fucking trying to! Since we first met, by the way, but thanks for catching on," Natasha said with a small smile.

Pepper's eyes widened in realisation and she moved without quite knowing what she was doing, wrapping her arms around the other woman's neck, pulling her in for a desperate kiss. Natasha smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Pepper's waist, pulling her close and trying not to growl possessively. Pepper gave in and did that anyway.

Eventually they broke apart for air, but held onto each other like their lives depended on it.

"Stay here," Pepper said between quick breaths, "With me, for the winter." There was a slight pleading in her voice she refused to admit was audible. "If you want."

Natasha nodded, "That'd be great. We could push the couches together."

"I reckon we could finish off the perishable food before sundown, too."

"Sounds like a plan. No need for that machine of yours then."

"Stupid thing stopped fucking working anyway."

"Mmm I like when you say bad words," she pulled Pepper into a passionate kiss.

And together, they survived the winter.

* * *

 **A/N: This was intended to be the last chapter, (it was written mostly by my loser friend who dared me to put this story up here btw), but if any of you people want more chapters this might turn into a longer thing. I know someone wants more Pepper-backstory, so that could be a thing, and we've got kind of a vague plan for more chapters if anyone's up for reading them. Anyways, drop us some suggestions if you like, and as always i** **f you have any feedback, please feel free to let us know and we'll take it into consideration.**


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